Subject: Viceroy Butterfly
Location: Lake Telemark, NJ, USA
Equipment: Nikon D3100 w/ Nikon 105mm Macro Lens

The viceroy butterfly is dark orange with black veins. A row of white spots edge its wings. Its color and pattern mimics the monarch butterfly’s pattern except for a black horizontal stripe that crosses the bottom of its back wings. The viceroy caterpillar is white and olive-brown. The viceroy and monarch were once thought to exhibit Batesian mimicry where a harmless species mimics a toxic species. Studies conducted in the early 1990’s suggest that the viceroy and the monarch are actually examples of Mullerian mimicry where two equally toxic species mimic each other to the benefit of each.
This beauty was chasing everything that flew near it today. That includes dragonflies! It was very entertaining to watch.